How Rwanda's capital became Africa's cleanest city

DW (English)

Mandatory community cleaning of public spaces and cooperatives of women help keep the rubbish off Kigali's street, earning it the title of Africa's cleanest city.

Transcript

00:00Common prejudices about big African cities are, they are loud, overcrowded and above all, they are drowning in filth.

00:09Is that true? And how has Kigali, the Rwandan capital, established itself as the cleanest city in Africa?

00:21I wake up at 4 am and come here always. I start my work by 6.

00:28My name is Niramai Amberazahara. I work as a cleaner in the city of Kigali.

00:35Kigali is very clean. All is good. I'm very proud of it.

00:42The collective effort to maintain cleanliness in Kigali has a significant socio-economic dimension.

00:48All these women on different streets are grouped into private cooperatives.

00:53This may help Kigali's reputation as the cleanest city in Africa,

00:57but does it also help the cleaners getting a stable income to support their families?

01:07Having this job gives me credibility. As a worker I can borrow some money.

01:13People trust me. They can lend me money so that I feed my kids and I pay them back when I am paid.

01:21After the genocide of the Tutsis in 1994, the Rwandan government,

01:26in an effort to rebuild the country from the ground up,

01:29took various measures to ensure not only the cleanliness of the city but also environmental protection.

01:36Was it worth banning plastic bags and educating citizens about the need for cleanliness?

01:43Yes, it has helped very much.

01:46Before, citizens didn't understand why they would pay anyone to take care of their garbage.

01:52They believed that instead of paying for cleaning service,

01:55they would simply take the garbage out of their houses and dump them in the trenches, on streets.

02:06Unlikely as it may seem when observing many African cities, Kigali stands apart in cleanliness.

02:13Many cities on the continent grapple with waste management challenges.

02:17How has Rwanda's capital distinguished itself,

02:20setting a benchmark in urban cleanliness that few have met until today?

02:28Umuganda has played a huge role in cleaning Kigali city in more depth.

02:33This is one of the major benefits of Umuganda.

02:37Can you imagine a day when the people collectively come together

02:40to take care of the cleanliness of public spaces for the common good?

02:44Well, in Rwanda such a day exists. It's Umuganda Day.

02:48The last Saturday of each month, the nation pauses for three hours.

02:53Shops shut down.

02:55Police oversee the closure of roads.

02:58And personal business gives way to communal duty.

03:07We do Umuganda to clean up our neighborhoods.

03:10Also, getting rid of the bushes helps us fighting against the mosquitoes that spread malaria.

03:16And also, it makes our homes look smart.

03:25But Umuganda is about more than cleaning.

03:28It's about solidarity and community.

03:31The project has brought the residents together,

03:33and they are now discussing their problems and setting common goals.

03:40I hope you all know the importance of trees.

03:42They provide oxygen.

03:44Without them we won't have air quality.

03:46Therefore, we need to protect them and plant more even.

03:50Is that clear?

03:55Kigali's rise to become the cleanest city in the world

03:59Kigali's rise to become the cleanest city in Africa is no coincidence.

04:03It is the result of a joint and continuous effort by the communities.

04:11Government policies, such as the ban on plastic bags, provide the legal framework.

04:17While citizen engagement, embodied by the spirit of Umuganda, brings these policies to life.

04:28For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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